The Mouse And The Mask

Danger Doom | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: November 9, 2007
• Release Date: November 9, 2007
• Label: Epitaph
• Copyright: 2006 Epitaph
• Total Length: 39:51
• Genres:
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• ASIN: B000YQSYQM
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,643 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid release, but then again, what did you expect?, October 11, 2005

By 

Nicholas Adam Chupka "Metalhead" (Derwood, MD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mouse & The Mask (Dig) (Audio CD)

The fact that this album is titled The Mouse and the Mask highlights the growing popularity of two of hip-hop's most respected connoisseurs, Danger Mouse and the mighty MF Doom. Years ago, such a title would have drifted right past the awareness of most hip-hop fans, but with MF's credibility in both the underground and mainstream NYC scene, and Danger Mouse's much sought after production skills, these two have managed to put out an album with actual anticipation across the world of hip-hop.

And folks, the anticipation is completely warranted. With the consistent use of the Cartoon Network Adult Swim characters Brak, Grandmaster Shake, and Harvey Birdman, and guest appearances by the other Iron Man: Ghostface Killah, the conscious wizard Talib Kweli, and dirty south eclectic extraordinaire Cee-Lo, this MC and DJ dynamic duo unleashes a refreshing and downright fun hip-hop album.

Fans of MF Doom will be neither blown away, nor surprised by the delivery and lyrical output on this release. Possibly the most consistent MC in hip-hop, Doom sticks to his mouth-full, Rakim-relaxed flow which could easily have folks mistaking him for the long lost 10th core member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Never seeking to impress his fan base or new listeners with obnoxiously abstract content, or spell-binding flow/speed, MF forces you to hit the rewind button to hear the almost juvenile, yet mostly creative tongue-in-cheek disses which harkens to the battle days of old school hip-hop.

And for the most part, Danger Mouse matches the output of his partner. At times, the beats can only be described as the perfect offspring of Ghetto Pop Life/Grey Album era Danger Mouse, and that well-known MF Doom vibe. Tracks like "The Mask", "Old School", "No Names", and "Space-Ho's" (my favorite) justify this match made in heaven, and oftentimes find Doom sounding his best with backing from one of the finest producers in the game.

Unfortunately, a number of tracks are lackluster, and they will quickly earn the "I always fast forward through this track" badge. "ATHF", a nice ode to the already classic cartoon, never succeeds in providing memorable moments, and "Basket Case" could be used as a prime example of album filler, despite its use of the prototypical "villain" samples which have become a staple of Doom's style.

When this new superhero/villain (?!?!) tandem hits the mark though, they show exactly why, despite no mass-market airplay, this album has been so hyped up in the hip-hop community. While I think this release is largely Doom in its style, the brilliance we have come to expect from this man has finally matched itself with a production/beats style which, no offense to Doom, is more of what the modern, technologically advanced hip-hop fan has come to expect. With the abundance of Adult Swim samples, these two have created a sound which, without doubt, can be found nowhere else. But hey, do they really even need the samples to achieve such a sound? Of course not. While you should not expect a start to finish display of rap transcendence, you can expect the same beats and flows which have made the two separate entities of this musical mutant two of the hottest commodities in hip-hop today.

58 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doom's coming-out party, October 18, 2005

By 

Patrick G. Varine "Make beats, not war, haha..." (Georgetown, Delaware) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mouse & The Mask (Dig) (Audio CD)

This is it. This is the album that will introduce MF Doom to a monstrous fan base.

While his other albums -- mostly four-star classics in my book -- are admittedly less accessible to the average hip-hopper (I'll be the first to admit that I was disappointed at my first listen to "Operation: Doomsday." Now I think it's fantastic), this is easy for anyone to get into.

Regardless, this album is an instant classic. My little SISTER even liked it. The beats are all bouncy and catchy (but still with a gritty edge to them), and the rhymes have just enough subtext to appeal to the discerning underground head as well as being nonsensical enough to be funny to anyone.

But the album as a whole is nothing to laugh at, however.

Right from the understated loop at the start of "El Chupa Nibre," it's clear that Doom is running the show. Danger Mouse's beats are basically all winners, from the chunky guitar on "A.T.H.F." to the Latin loop on "Crosshairs," the beats bubble under Metal Face's raspy flow.

The best moments come when guests are involved, and I'm not necessarily talking about guest MCs. Just about every Adult Swim character makes an appearance SOMEwhere, from Brak asking "Why did you buy this album? I don't know why you did, you're stupid," to Master Shake's series of messages asking why he hasn't been included on the album, "Because you KNOW my rappin' is the s***!" he says.

The album's cartoon-y theme carries over to its best song as well. "Old School" loops (what I THINK) is an old Hanna-Barbara music snippet. I recognize part of it from the opening frames of "Kill Bill," where Tarantino used it as music behind the "Feature Presentation" graphic.

Regardless of the source, Doom and Talib Kweli ride the beat like a brand-new Harley, waxing nostalgic about eatin' cereal and watchin' Saturday morning cartoons.

There's not much to dislike about this album. Even parents will enjoy the fact that they bleeped all the cuss words, although they did leave Doom's line about "fellas grab ya nutsacks, chicks squeeze your breastesses."

Good stuff. Get this NOW.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury...we all lived through the 70's, October 11, 2005

By 

Alexander Henderson "I Like Music" (UNC-CH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mouse & The Mask (Dig) (Audio CD)

Haha...I love this album. Since I heard it first a few months ago, it's been one of my most played and most loved albums of 2005. It's been consistently moving up and down my ever-changing Top 5 of '05, right now it's sitting in the #4 spot but that's sucjected to change. It's fantastic, Daniel Dumile delivers brilliant flow and lyrics once again, but the different this time is the production. The first 10 seconds of "El Chupa Nibre" (barring brak's introduction) are a large departure from Madlib's recognizable style on Madvillainy. It's simpler this time around, the focus doesn't seem to be on the complexity or the layers as much, but that doesn't mean the beats are any less fantastic. I would say Madlib produces like Radiohead, where Dangermouse produeces like Weezer (horrible simplification) but it makes sense following the fact that The Mouse and The Mask is really a 3 man show: MF Doom, Dangermouse, and Adult Swim. I give it a perfect score because, it's not as striking or fresh as Madvillainy, but it hasn't left my playlist in months and that's as much of a recommendation as I can give. Also, it must be said I adore Master Shake so there are brownie points there. Don't let the skits cloud your judgement though